Indian Bureau Chief Is Outflanked
Indian Bureau Chief Is Outflanked
Congress pledged in 1789 that Indian “lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent. This is the story of what happened to an official who thought the treaty should be observed.
Indian Commissioner Louis Bruce, himself a Mohawk, tried to protect Indian rights against the depredations of the white exploiters. He was quickly, quietly stripped of his authority, and left in his big, ornate office with no more power than a wooden cigar-store Indian. Last week, his resignation was picked up and he was dumped out of office without a word of appreciation.
The documents seized by Indians from the government files describe how Bruce was thwarted by the Nixon administration. His troubles began when he stood up to the big corporations greedy for Indian land and the local governments thirsty for Indian water. By early July 1971 he learned that the administration was preparing to undercut him.
In a draft memo, he noted that a white House "Management Assistance Team" had recommended the appointment of a "deputy Commissioner" to assist him. "This recommendation has, we understand, been accepted by the (Interior) Department."
Not long afterward, on July 23, 1971, Secretary Rogers Morton installed John Crow as the new deputy commissioner. That move was hailed by Morton, who spoke of Crow’s role in "improving the lot of the American Indians."
Power Coup
The truth is that Crow, one-quarter Cherokee and three quarters bureaucrat, could be trusted to carry out the administration's bidding.
The transfer of power from Bruce to Crow began only three days after the appointment. On July 26, Morton signed an order giving Crow "any and all authority conferred upon the Commissioner of Indian Affairs by the Secretary of the Interior."
In other words, Crow was no ordinary deputy but had a co-equal with Bruce. It soon became evident that Crow, in fact, would be the real boss and Bruce would be a figurehead.
Crow immediately got out a memo laying down the law as to the agency's executive staff. Henceforth, he would clear all communications to cabinet members, all documents on funds, all orders to field offices, all press releases – indeed, all "correspondence with policy implications."
A day later, Crow instructed the Operating Services Officers to disregard a 1970 memo by Bruce because it had "expired." In the future, Crow added, the instructions would come from him.
Next day, he preemptively demoted three of Bruce's top aides, including tough-minded Ernie Stevens, who had been one of the Indians' best friends. They were replaced by Crow's own henchmen. The order added bluntly: "All future designations to act in executive positions will be approved by me."
Another memo rescinded a reform instituted by Bruce and strengthened Crow's control over other activities. The power coup lasted five days. Thereafter, there were no more memos about honoring Indian treaties.